9. To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of: She followed her lecture with a question-and-answer period. The band followed its hit album with a tour.

10. To occur or be evident as a consequence of: Your conclusion does not follow your premise.

11.

a. To watch or observe closely: followed the bird through binoculars.

b. To be attentive to; pay close heed to: too sleepy to follow the sermon.

c. To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of: follow the stock market; followed the local teams.

12. To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand: Do you follow my argument?

v.intr.

1. To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.

2. To occur or be evident as a consequence; result: If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow.

3. To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.

n.

Games A billiards shot in which the cue ball is struck above center so that it follows the path of the object ball after impact.

Phrasal Verbs:

follow along

To move or proceed in unison or in accord with an example: followed along with the song.

follow through

1. Sports To carry a stroke to natural completion after hitting or releasing a ball or other object.

2. To carry an act, project, or intention to completion; pursue fully: followed through on her promise to fix the oven.

follow up

To increase the effectiveness or enhance the success of by further action: followed up her interview with an email.

Idioms:

as follows

As will be stated next. Used to introduce a specified enumeration, explanation, or command.

follow (one's) nose

1. To move straight ahead or in a direct path.

2. Informal To be guided by instinct: had no formal training but became a success by following his nose.

follow suit

1. Games To play a card of the same suit as the one led.

2. To do as another has done; follow an example.

[Middle English folowen, from Old English folgian.]

fol′low·er·ship′ n.

Synonyms: follow, succeed, ensue, result These verbs mean to come after something or someone. Follow, the most general, refers to people or things that come after another in time or order or as a consequence or result: You go first, and we'll follow. He disregarded doctor's orders, and a relapse soon followed. To succeed is to come next after another, especially in planned order determined by considerations such as rank, inheritance, or election: The heir apparent succeeded to the throne. Ensue and result are used only of events or conditions that follow another in time. Ensue usually applies to what is a consequence: After the government was toppled, chaos ensued. Result implies that what follows is caused by what has preceded: Driving over the speed limit can result in a fine.

Usage Note: As follows (not as follow) is the established form of the idiom regardless of whether the noun that precedes it is singular or plural: The regulations are as follows.

The other Growleywogs were not slow to follow suit, and even before they had finished drinking the Chief of the Whimsies and his people came to push them away, while they one and all cast off their false heads that they might slake their thirst at the fountain.

Whereupon cards followed, with aunt Kimble's annual failure to follow suit, and uncle Kimble's irascibility concerning the odd trick which was rarely explicable to him, when it was not on his side, without a general visitation of tricks to see that they were formed on sound principles: the whole being accompanied by a strong steaming odour of spirits-and-water.

But as 'them two clever ones'--Mrs Affery's perpetual reference, in whom her personality was swallowed up--were agreed to accept Little Dorrit as a matter of course, she had nothing for it but to follow suit.

Then all of our contemporaries worth knowing follow suit, of course: we're very good friends at games and all that, but not a soul of them but you and Arthur ever tried to break through the crust, and see whether there was anything at the bottom of me; and then the bad ones I won't stand and they know that.

Greece has warned that if the nation fails to default on its debts and is thus compelled to quit the euro zone, other regional countries will follow suit, therefore, destiny of the euro will be in question.

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